Grain-Repelling Pill

Grain-Repelling Pill

Song Shuhang took Medicine Master around Great Fortune District and looked at more than ten apartments for rent, but unfortunately, not one of them met Medicine Master's standards. Shuhang had no idea what kind of house Medicine Master actually wanted.

If nothing works, we'll look around some other districts. Shuhang thought this to himself.

Just then, Medicine Master finally found a house that satisfied him.

It was a brand-new house—a five-story, three-room-style residence, complete with walls and front and back courtyards. Its arrangement was exquisite, and anyone could tell at a glance how much effort the owner had poured into it.

It was a good house!

But this house clearly didn't look like a rental!

"This is the one! Let's rent it!" Medicine Master laughed uproariously.

"Wait, Senior, this house isn't for rent. It's their own private residence!" Song Shuhang cried.

But Medicine Master didn't listen to his explanation at all. Laughing, he dragged Song Shuhang to the front of the house and reached out to press the doorbell.

"Coming!" a deep, husky voice called from inside.

The door soon opened, and a middle-aged man with a crew cut and a slightly plump build poked his head out, looking at Song Shuhang and Medicine Master.

He stared at Medicine Master's explosive hairstyle for a while before asking doubtfully, "Delivery?"

"No, we want to rent a house." Medicine Master got straight to the point the moment the door opened.

The middle-aged man stiffened, and the corner of his mouth twitched. Nevertheless, he still replied politely, "Sorry, my family lives in this house. Besides, we don't really like living with strangers, so we have no plans to rent it out."

"You don't like living with strangers? That's wonderful!" Medicine Master said happily. "I don't like living under the same roof as strangers either. So why don't you move out and rent the entire building to me? Name whatever rent you want—I absolutely won't haggle!"

Somehow, Medicine Master's words were really asking for a beating. Song Shuhang covered his face. Was he asking the original owner to move out and then renting the house to himself? Wouldn't the owner have to sleep on the street? With such a maddening way of asking to rent a place, how could he possibly succeed?

Sure enough, the middle-aged owner already had veins bulging on his forehead, and his expression turned hostile. "I'm sorry, I don't lack that little bit of money, so the house isn't for rent. Please find somewhere else. Goodbye."

The fact that he could still restrain himself at this point showed that the owner was an educated gentleman. If it had been Shuhang, he felt he definitely wouldn't have been able to endure it. At the very least, he would've cursed him as a lunatic or something!

"Hey, think it over! Money really isn't a problem!" Medicine Master still wasn't willing to give up.

Song Shuhang could already imagine the owner angrily driving them away. He hurriedly grabbed Medicine Master, intending to forcibly drag this Senior away.

Who could have imagined that, in the end, Medicine Master and Song Shuhang would still move into this five-story, three-room house?

"Ah, as expected, this kind of detached house is the most suitable. The size is just right, too. Once we knock down the walls, one floor of this spacious house will be perfect as an alchemy room!" Medicine Master toured the house floor by floor, nodding in satisfaction as he looked around.

"But originally, we only needed to rent a single room," Song Shuhang complained.

Everything in the mortal world had a price. Often, the reason you couldn't buy something wasn't because it was not for sale, but simply because the price you offered wasn't high enough.

The five-story, three-room residence before them was the same.

Even though the owner had poured his heart into building it specifically for himself and his family to live in, after Medicine Master threw down an amount of money no one could refuse... the middle-aged man, who had previously had veins bulging on his forehead and looked ready to throw a punch, changed his expression as swiftly as a face in a Peking opera. In an instant, the clouds parted and the sun shone.

Then, the uncle cheerfully handed over the house and land-use certificates, every key to the gates and rooms, and arranged a time with Medicine Master to process the transfer procedures.

After that, the uncle's family moved out of the house within two hours. That efficiency was rock-solid!

Yes, they had bought it.

Medicine Master had straightforwardly bought the entire house.

Money really did make the world go round!

"Don't worry about these trivial details. The important thing is that we now have a suitable alchemy room, so we can begin refining the Body Tempering Liquid." Medicine Master laughed, took a porcelain bottle from his robes, poured out a pill, and tossed it to Song Shuhang.

Song Shuhang caught the pill, his face filled with confusion.

"This is a Grain-Repelling Pill. It's something you can eat in place of food, one of the pills cultivators need in their daily lives. Once your cultivation reaches a profound level in the future, when you enter secluded cultivation, you may stay in seclusion for months at a time, or even years or decades. Cultivators still need to eat, and that's where the Grain-Repelling Pill comes in. Keep it in your mouth, and its medicinal effects will slowly dissolve on their own. This is the lowest-quality kind, but for you, a single Grain-Repelling Pill can still replace a month's worth of meals." Medicine Master smiled as he explained.

"Thank you, Senior." Song Shuhang's heart warmed. Medicine Master had actually remembered that he hadn't eaten lunch. For someone who seemed so absentminded, Medicine Master was unexpectedly attentive and considerate.

Medicine Master said, "Don't be so polite with me. Keep it in your mouth for a while, and once you're full, we'll go refine the Body Tempering Liquid."

Song Shuhang held the Grain-Repelling Pill in his mouth, and a rich fragrance immediately filled it. At the same time, the hunger in his stomach vanished without a trace. After a moment, he even felt as if he were about to belch.

"Take it out once you feel full, or you might burst. Also, before the Grain-Repelling Pill completely evaporates, you can use it repeatedly. Keep it safe. You might be able to use it in the future." Medicine Master added that the things he refined were measured in centuries when it came to shelf life, so there was no need to worry about them going bad.

Hearing this, Shuhang took the Grain-Repelling Pill out of his mouth and put it away again. Fortunately, he hadn't swallowed it. Just now, he had wondered whether the Grain-Repelling Pill could work like the ones in television shows, letting him go a month without eating or drinking after swallowing it.

Now it seemed that if he swallowed it, he would probably be stuffed to death.

The induction cooker—no problem.

The hotpot—OK.

All forty-five ingredients for the Simplified Body Tempering Liquid had also been arranged beside Song Shuhang according to their quantities and order.

"Repeat the process from the first time you refined it, and begin," Medicine Master said. "Don't feel pressured, and don't worry about failure. I have plenty of ingredients for the Body Tempering Liquid."

Song Shuhang smiled shyly and closed his eyes, recalling the process of refining the Body Tempering Liquid for the first time. Since it had happened only yesterday, and since it had been his first time refining the Body Tempering Liquid in his life, he remembered every step clearly.

"Add water first." He poured a ladleful of water into the hotpot.

Next, he added sliced Ginseng and simmered it for five minutes.

Then came the Goji Berry, which he continued to simmer for five minutes.

When it came to the third ingredient, the Morning Dew Mystic Herb, Song Shu no longer counted the time. He began watching the subtle changes in the ingredients inside the hotpot. After a moment, he increased the heat of the induction cooker.

Medicine Master stroked his chin and watched Song Shuhang's every move. He remained silent, not making a sound to disturb him.

"Even though I was mentally prepared, I still can't connect Little Friend Shuhang's actions with 'alchemy,'" Medicine Master lamented inwardly.

Fortunately, he was an alchemist who kept up with the times.

If a more old-fashioned alchemist saw Song Shuhang using a hotpot and an induction cooker to practice alchemy, those rigid old fellows would probably be enraged until their livers ached.

"Also... modernizing the alchemy furnace needs to be added to the plan ahead of time. At least when refining pills that don't require Pillfire or a special flame, modern equipment makes controlling the heat and temperature much easier." Medicine Master thought to himself.

Take Song Shuhang before him. With just a few button presses, he could control the heat perfectly. That was something an old-fashioned alchemy furnace couldn't accomplish. Even a Fire-Control Treasure couldn't make it this easy.

At this moment, with the help of the Ice Pearl, Song Shuhang once again entered a state of intense concentration. In his eyes, aside from the Body Tempering Liquid he was refining, nothing else existed.

A look of appreciation appeared in Medicine Master's eyes.

Although he was a little older, this Song Shuhang might well have a great talent for alchemy!